go WILLIAM II

treme importance, where the succession to the throne, and
the life of the heir apparent were at stake, the surgeons
and physicians should be selected by the State—that is, by
himself—and that their verdict should be final. Chief
among the medical experts whom he nominated for the
purpose, was the celebrated German surgeon, Professor
von Bergmann, who is as famed for his skill in the
use of the knife as for his fondness in applying it in
cases where it might possibly be dispensed with. Having
convinced himself that the malady from which Crown
Prince Frederick suffered was a cancer, he decreed that the
only manner of saving the life of the illustrious patient
was the extremely dangerous and almost certainly fatal
operation of removing the entire portion of the larnyx that
was affected. This, as stated above, would have left the
crown prince dumb for the remainder of his days, and
according to the views of Prince Bismarck would have
barred him from succession to the throne.

It is related in court circles at Berlin, that Professor
Bergmann was on the point of operating upon the crown
prince unknown to the crown princess, and under the
pretext of making a very radical examination, for which
anaesthetics were necessary, when he was prevented at the
very last moment by her imperial highness. It is even
stated that she tore the instruments from his hands, and
turned him out of the room with the most bitter and cutting
reproaches. Whatever may be true in this bit of court gos-
sip, it is certain that a fierce quarrel did take place between
the crown princess and the great surgeon, and that the
cause of this quarrel was the decision taken by the latter
to operate upon the crown prince as the only means of
saving his life.

The crown princess thereupon summoned to her assist-ower of speech.